Prepping new to me 1998

I only got to ride this 94 miles before the weather ended the 2025 riding season.  Good thing I got in 11,000 miles on my ST1300s. With those made ready for next year I got the VFR into the shop before it snowed too much.

Yesterday I fitted helibars. 
 

Today I mounted the racks and bags that came the sale. Nice. 

Sitting here wondering how far do I go maintenance wise.

Brake pads are new. Brake and clutch line fluid is clean, the wheels spin freely. Normally it would be complete overhaul of cylinders with new rubber. 
maybe next winter. 
 

The clutch mc boot is broken. That will get rebuild kit. 

No known valve clearance checks with 54,300 miles and told probably not. I act like I am thinking about it but I will almost certainly go in there. 

The night I rode I noticed that the headlight brightness did not change with rpm. Voltage was about a flat 13.1v. 
Another thing, the key apparently needed some jigging to start the bike then all ok until next key on. Then the lithium ion battery was low from sitting a few weeks. Accidentally charged it for 5 minutes in lead acid mode. Ran back, changed lithium ion mode and find it only has and only achieves 2v. 
Put a battery from an ST1300, fired up with no extra key wiggles. Ok. 
I see it has a same style but not original R/R
I have been down this road before with my previously owned Blackbirds and VFRs. 
I see a new stator, 847 R/R and battery in my future. 
 

28 years old. Just do the coolant hoses?

Height adjuster on the Penske shock was loose. Does not inspire confidence in previous mechanic. Front brake line clamp under triple clamp not tight. Looks like I’ll be checking everything. 
 

I need a lighter spring. Do I learn how to rebuild the shock or luxuriate by having Traxxion do it?  I’ll probably have them set it up for me initially then consider doing rebuilds myself. 
 

Still, overall the bike looks fairly well ridden and taken care of.
I am very happy to have this bike. 
 

Time to look under the hood. 

Looking forward to all your posts..Everything you ever want to know about the 5th gen is here...

If you decide to change hoses, there is a AS3 Silicone hose set for that, I recently did a thread on changing them out.

https://www.as3performance.com/products/honda-vfr-800-fi-1998-2001-high-performance-silicone-radiator-hoses-red

Again welcome to the forum, it's a great group...

BTW, looks awesome 👌 

Love the silver.  Congrats-looks like a nice one.  

Shock rebuilds are in my opinion a step too far for a home mechanic. The tension in the spring, and the need to regas a shock at 200psi move that job out of my comfort zone.

13.1V charging rate would make me a little uncomfortable and I would be checking the alternator connector is clean (or better still removed and hard-wired). 

Penske shock does not require a spring compressor. You can use compressed air to bleed, but will need access to a nitrogen bottle for final charge. Fortunately my partner in racing has one we use for the race car tires.

11 hours ago, Terry

13.1V charging rate would make me a little uncomfortable and I would be checking the alternator connector is clean (or better still removed and hard-wired). 

13.1V would make me lots uncomfortable.  Honda-ish reg/rec should be doing closer to 14.5V at cruising RPM, unless there's a special reg/rec for Lithium Batteries installed (Rick's has one).  but even that's set for 14V.

Definitely pull that tail plastic.  If I have any inkling about stator health, I disconnect it from the regulator and go right to a dynamic AC voltage test.  resistance checks for giggles maybe, but all stator failures I've had only show failure on the AC test.

Don't assume you have a charging component issue until you carry out the specific tests laid down in the manual, ensure you have the lights on main beam when checking charge voltages at the battery terminals or you'll get the wrong results.

Lithium spec batteries might need a dedicated Reg/Rec & remote charger, charge voltage window is different to a lead/acid battery, a stock Reg/Rec is not necessarily suitable for any type of Lithium battery.

Tinterweb search results mention most R&R's were never designed with using a Lithium spec power source, charging voltage window is potentially wrong, potential long term battery damage may occur?

Personally I don't trust the tech, too many, especially cars have gone thermal overload, resulting in a massive fireball in seconds.

I was able to peak into V and see some funky stuff on a coolant elbow. So it was time to go in. 
[image: IMG_0228.thumb.jpeg.5d82c427d8466e487f7d2dea615bfdd4.jpeg]
And since I am this far I’ll do valve clearance check and took mello dude’s advice, ordered as3 hoses. 
 

I checked the rear brake fluid. 
[image: IMG_0219.thumb.jpeg.88a9ad07ce70dc5fca538b54233cddcb.jpeg]

This motivates me to thoroughly flush the lines then overhaul the calipers. 
 

 I missed my chance to do a dynamic test for a while.
First look at the charging system. 
Wires and plug look good. 
Here is the R/R. 

[image: IMG_0213.thumb.jpeg.ac38da5ff304920808dc25ce805d6389.jpeg]

Now that I’ve got some momentum I am looking forward to more wrenching. 
[image: IMG_0234.thumb.jpeg.5bccec164d2c61597c7ce1a02600dc66.jpeg]

You've definitely caught the disease. I've never been cured.  :fing02:

Its a long drawn out thread... but here is my saga of changing out the hoses... and  "while your in there's"

You may as well do the thermostat and O-rings too... 

https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/114089-another-thermostathose-throttle-body-job-minor-refresh-brakes-rebuild-wheels-powder-coat/

Possibly another thread that may be usefull

https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/114395-5th-gen-maintenance-6th-gen-and-other-parts-that-work-on-5th-gens/

btw-- that OEM R/R is typically a ticking time bomb to eat itself... 

Gaz66, 2/8/2026 at 3:49 PM

Don't assume you have a charging component issue until you carry out the specific tests laid down in the manual, ensure you have the lights on main beam when checking charge voltages at the battery terminals or you'll get the wrong results.

What most bikers fail to grasp is all Lithium spec batteries need a dedicated Reg/Rec & remote charger, charge voltage window is different to a lead/acid battery, a stock Reg/Rec is not suitable for any type of Lithium battery, it was never designed with using a Lithium spec power source, it will function to a degree with a Lithium battery, long term some damage will occur, mostly the Lithium battery will degrade due to the wrong Reg/Rec used, worst case scenario any Lithium batt can also go into thermal overload at anytime, resulting in a massive fireball, it will defo be an issue if this occurs while riding,  insurance claim might be a problem when it burns your garage down without any warning, personally I'd never install anything other than a lead/acid non spill battery with a stock Reg/Rec.

I held out for a very long time before I decided LiFePO4 was okay--once Honda started using them as OEM.  (I have a LiFePO4 external charger, of course, but I'm using a "standard" SH847 series reg/rec on my yellow 5th gen.) 

I had a look at the reg/recs Honda has used on its bikes when it switched to lithium batteries on the CBR1000RR and other bikes like the CRF450, and they didn't change the reg/recs at the same time.  It's hard to argue that a special reg/rec is a "necessity" when Honda didn't bother fitting one on its top-of-the-range CBR1000RR SP1 in 2017.  That bike's reg/rec pn. 31600-MJJ-D31 is the same pn. used on the previous (non-LiFEPO) models and, indeed, it is also used on several other decidedly non-top-of-the-range Hondas like the 2013 NC700 and Forza 300 scooter (which have standard, AGM batteries).

These types of batteries have been used in powersports applications for almost 15 years now, and I haven't heard of very many "fireballs".  For example, Harley Davidson (yes, I know...) implies that any Harley can use one of their LiFePO4 batteries.  The only problems I've read about relate to older-tech Lithium Ion batteries and faulty reg/recs putting out way too many volts.  As VFR owners we know about faulty reg/recs, but if you've got a series or MOSFET reg/rec you should not need to worry about over-charging a LiFePO4 battery.

When I discovered that I could use a single LiFePO4 battery in almost every bike I own, I stopped buying AGM batteries (once they had all died, one by one--no matter how diligently I charged and "maintained" them).  This is my current setup, an Aliant YLP14, which I've permanently connected via 10mm2/8AWG marine cables to an Anderson SB50 connector which mates to each bike:

[image: 20260210_003539.thumb.jpg.3b744e3691f7626dc15fa63731679ec2.jpg]

[image: 20260210_003413.thumb.jpg.2464f47214cde14088dadfcbcc4679e2.jpg]

I figure I only need one battery, because I can only ride one bike at a time!

Ciao,

JZH

I've also read a lot about concerns, but I've not had any issues changing battery tech in any of my vehicles. I don't think that the bikes know. 

Been using a LiFePo4 battery for better than 10 years, nothings caught fire....also using a similar connector as JZH...makes it nice, on and off in seconds. 

Re: different R/Rs for different battery technologies....I think its an excuse for certain vendors to market a "special" for a premium cost....

+1 got my first Antigravity battery back in 2020 for Play Girl™. When it arrived I thought they sent an empty box. It sat on the bench for almost a year before I installed it, and never needed a maintenance charge. After running it for a couple years including some commute duty I got one for Work Girl™ too. Both bikes have SH847s. So far so good.

TLDR: LiFePo4 + SH847 + healthy stater = nothing to worry about
and Deltran Battery Tender is fine to use
 

In '19 with 12k miles,  I checked stator status via "The Drill"
I installed a SH847 from Jack @ https://roadstercycle.com/.
At same time I bought a Shorai LFM18A1-BS12 (LiFePO4).

In the last 5+ years I have drained the battery 6 times to the point the bike would not start after I forgot to turn off the Oxford Hot Grips when I arrived home.

All six times I recharged the Shorai with the good old Deltran Battery Tender.  I monitored the recharge process and disconnected the Battery Tender as soon as I saw the LED display Green for full charge. 

I'm now at 36k miles.

Here's some good reading from our old friend @DannoXYZ re:  Replacement Battery 
 

@Sirbike nice color bike, good luck with your "prepping".

9 hours ago, mello dude

and  "while your in there's"

You may as well do the thermostat and O-rings too... 

Perfect, I was about to ask about the “while I’m in theres”

Check out the skills used here. 
[image: IMG_0247.thumb.jpeg.62851451ad753b92264a95e5bfeb0552.jpeg][image: IMG_0249.thumb.jpeg.9e0e9ddbeb081d2601c339a4e34034bb.jpeg]

They welded up a crack so close to the bolt that I had to dremel out some room for a socket. 
 

[image: IMG_0248.thumb.jpeg.e3b7b5edfd969b558ba7c2ab507c4412.jpeg]
 

11 hours ago, JZH

I held out for a very long time before I decided LiFePO4 was okay--once Honda started using them as OEM.  (I have a LiFePO4 external charger, of course, but I'm using a "standard" SH847 series reg/rec on my yellow 5th gen.) 

I had a look at the reg/recs Honda has used on its bikes when it switched to lithium batteries on the CBR1000RR and other bikes like the CRF450, and they didn't change the reg/recs at the same time.  It's hard to argue that a special reg/rec is a "necessity" when Honda didn't bother fitting one on its top-of-the-range CBR1000RR SP1 in 2017.  That bike's reg/rec pn. 31600-MJJ-D31 is the same pn. used on the previous (non-LiFEPO) models and, indeed, it is also used on several other decidedly non-top-of-the-range Hondas like the 2013 NC700 and Forza 300 scooter (which have standard, AGM batteries).

These types of batteries have been used in powersports applications for almost 15 years now, and I haven't heard of very many "fireballs".  For example, Harley Davidson (yes, I know...) implies that any Harley can use one of their LiFePO4 batteries.  The only problems I've read about relate to older-tech Lithium Ion batteries and faulty reg/recs putting out way too many volts.  As VFR owners we know about faulty reg/recs, but if you've got a series or MOSFET reg/rec you should not need to worry about over-charging a LiFePO4 battery.

When I discovered that I could use a single LiFePO4 battery in almost every bike I own, I stopped buying AGM batteries (once they had all died, one by one--no matter how diligently I charged and "maintained" them).  This is my current setup, an Aliant YLP14, which I've permanently connected via 10mm2/8AWG marine cables to an Anderson SB50 connector which mates to each bike:

[image: 20260210_003539.thumb.jpg.3b744e3691f7626dc15fa63731679ec2.jpg]

[image: 20260210_003413.thumb.jpg.2464f47214cde14088dadfcbcc4679e2.jpg]

I figure I only need one battery, because I can only ride one bike at a time!

Ciao,

JZH

I do like the weight saving aspect & a neat install with the Anderson plug.

May be a lot of the info on the Tinterweb is out dated?

I'll get ma coat 😉

20 hours ago, Sirbike

Perfect, I was about to ask about the “while I’m in theres”

Check out the skills used here. 
[image: IMG_0247.thumb.jpeg.62851451ad753b92264a95e5bfeb0552.jpeg][image: IMG_0249.thumb.jpeg.9e0e9ddbeb081d2601c339a4e34034bb.jpeg]

They welded up a crack so close to the bolt that I had to dremel out some room for a socket. 
 

[image: IMG_0248.thumb.jpeg.e3b7b5edfd969b558ba7c2ab507c4412.jpeg]
 

That's pretty ugly, but a lot of that will likely clean up OK. I have a TIG welder, but also know my limitations. Thought I'd have more time to practice then life happened.

The elbow was bolted on a paper gasket with the rubber O-ring in place then welded, which fried the o-ring then gasket sealer was smeared on top of everything. 
Fortunately I am not seeing this kind of shenanigans elsewhere. 
The mating surface cleaned up pretty well except for a small divet. I’ll have to pick a sealant for that spot. 
[image: IMG_0261.thumb.jpeg.70c3dd23ce6830c3752c39431e832cb4.jpeg]

I have SMC and brake calipers cleaned. 
Pistons look good. Seals for masters and slaves on the way from BrakeCrafters recommended here on vfrd. 
[image: IMG_0258.thumb.jpeg.78b6d271c72617060755b7f428a17472.jpeg]
 

In a youtube video the rear axle was out a few seconds after the nut was off. 
From the time I had the nut removed to having the axle out took an hour and fifteen minutes beating with ever larger hammers. Thinking if I didn’t need bearings before, I’d need them after this. Taking turns getting it to move a couple millimeters then tighten the nut down again to drag some penatrating lube in there. 
The axle passes my finger nail test.
There is slight discoloration on the bearing surface.

This look typical?

Anyway I am calling good to go. 
Measures good. Bearing grease was in good condition. 
[image: IMG_0268.thumb.jpeg.6f5b1f9897caebe8fa2c2df24ae184bd.jpeg]

The first goodies arrived. Also recommended here. 
Thanks for the tips. 
[image: IMG_0269.thumb.jpeg.6a45f7fb28adc0f911a78cdc892d9f6a.jpeg]

Perhaps I was overly optimistic when I initially looked at the clutch line fluid through the window. 
[image: IMG_0303.thumb.jpeg.0ab3accd816af4456aa4414d8889bcfa.jpeg]

The bike ran fine but today I thought I better at least look at the spark plugs. 
More shenanigans or a mod I haven’t read about?

The spark plug on the left was the odd one in the back left cylinder. [image: IMG_0302.thumb.jpeg.f0b14899e45e1f9b05a7c2dd3ebe11a1.jpeg]

See @natnif‘s project got me more motivated to clean. I think I got the easier job even with similar disassembly. 
I worked in the valley a bit today. 
[image: IMG_0308.thumb.jpeg.00566e59f93f900043fd92553ae0c349.jpeg]

Tomorrow I’ll get the rear of the motor. 
[image: IMG_0309.thumb.jpeg.664624ee0d0fd25f41607e0db6dcb706.jpeg]
 

May as well take a peek at this. Feels fine. 
It will be easier to clean the pipes of the bike. 
[image: IMG_0306.thumb.jpeg.bb19cb1e5fffb5c82d237f6dad8ec6c3.jpeg]

BTW, it made sense at the time about eight years ago to sell my 2000 VFR. 
Funny how that happens sometimes. 
[image: IMG_0259.thumb.png.1f5f8473e8df3e1b3768d2fc9b64593a.png]

Some of you may recognize it from the previous owner. 
Anyone’s here now?

Tomorrow, valve clearance  check. 

We shall clean in solidarity! @Sirbike

[image: IMG_0337.thumb.jpeg.3be4b0db716757a12aa008778177989f.jpeg]I found this while cleaning the back of the motor. 
What say ye?

Honda marking or junkyard marking. 
 

Honda marking.  No question.

I agree; I've seen something similar on all of my Hondas, often in a concealed area of the V. I have seen white or green paint pen numbers; as someone who has done business in many Asian countries, you can sometimes tell they're Japanese by the way they draw the numbers. 

Poking around the net I found potential good news about the charging system. 
The voltage reading on the lithium ion battery will be lower, 13.4 and stays flat as rpm increases. 
The stator will probably be ok when I do a running check. 
The battery that showed 2 volts a couple weeks ago after attempting to charge went up to 6.5v while not on the charger. 
 

I peeled the inspection stickers. They skipped from 2020 to 2025. 1100 miles. 
 

For a bike that seemed pretty rideable this looks like a mild rescue project. 
 

I am pretty much at the peak of disassembly now with some parts coming next week. 
 

Valve clearance passed, hurray. 
 

I did not like the aftermarket levers that came with the bike. I had a spare VFR lever. Have to order a brake lever. 
I prefer a shorter reach clutch lever than stock. 
I grind a little bit off by the adjuster to get in closer. My St1300s all have VFR lever done this way. 

 

[image: IMG_0320.thumb.jpeg.a2bcec9dce5eeec866c828fd5363acf6.jpeg][image: IMG_0319.thumb.jpeg.ba0cee7212b79e19c9142be6e806fefa.jpeg][image: IMG_0329.thumb.jpeg.b635a79e1212904483f35a36d7db6fd3.jpeg][image: IMG_0345.thumb.jpeg.2fe7a1e2b24b953df70c7829ba45b7a3.jpeg][image: IMG_0343.thumb.jpeg.628c88c5f92745bc5a32dd4ff1038e5f.jpeg]